Recipe: Pasta with Broccoli Rabe and Sausage

Pasta is on sale this week for 80¢ a box at my local supermarket. Italian Turkey Sausage is on sale for $2.99. Broccoli Rabe is $2.99 per pound. I already have extra virgin olive oil and garlic in my pantry so I decided to buy all these ingredients to make this popular Italian dish for about $7.

Orecchiette (Italian for "ear") is the pasta shape that is normally used for this dish. I substituted Medium Shells which is similar.

Ingredients

• 1 large bunch of broccoli rabe (stems trimmed off and rinsed)
• 1 pound of Medium Shell pasta
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 pound Italian sausage (hot or sweet, the taste is up to you) cut into bite sized pieces
• 4 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped
• 1 cup reserved broccoli rabe water
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Directions

1. Bring a large pot of water to the boil. Add a handful of salt and bring back to boil.
2. Add the broccoli rabe and cook for a minute. Remove from water with tongs and allow to cool and drain in a colander.
3. Bring the water back to a boil.
4. Heat oil in a large saute pan over medium heat and cook the sausage until browned, about 12 minutes.
5. Add the chopped garlic and saute for a minute more.
6. Add the drained broccoli rabe and toss to coat everything in the flavored oil.
7. Add 1 cup reserved broccoli rabe water and salt and pepper to taste.
8. Meanwhile, add the pasta to the boiling water and cook until al dente (about 10 minutes)
9. Drain pasta and return to the pot.
10. Add the broccoli rabe and sausage sauce to the pasta and toss.
11. Transfer everything to a serving plate and sprinkle the Parmesan cheese on top.